Stunning —
I have really enjoyed this little car. Great power and excellent fuel economy.
Need a bigger as daughters bring friends along and don't fit!
Great performance in both city and highway, not to mention how good handling in snow and icy conditions.

Fast Go Kart, Fun To Drive, Easy To Park —
Great city car, fast and gas saver at the same time. Always easy to find a parking spot. Spacious for two, with 6'5'' height i have more space above my head than in my Audi A4.. good quality of materials and pretty reliable.

Buzzing Down The Road —
I bought this car for better mileage around town instead of my Jeep commander. I hardly drive the Jeep any more since I love driving this stick shift around town and also on the highway. It has all the bells and whistles of a more expensive car as well.

Pros:
Great fun car to drive. handling is awesome. more room in the back with the seats down than you would imagine.

Great Fun —
I love driving this car overall. It has also been a treat for finding parking in crowded shore towns. Mini service has been expensive but I have found an excellent private mechanic- as there are now more of these available as Mini's have grown in popularity.

Primary Use: Commuting to work

Pros:
Beautiful car. very fun to drive. awesome power and acceleration, good fuel economy, easy to find parking and to park, great sound system, very comforable, surprisingly good in snow, heavy robust car- feels very safe although small in overall size. Love the sun roof and fog lamp look and practical use. Have never had a problem with cargo capacity.

Cons:
Can be expensive to repair (as BMW). Full synthetic oil expensive, Difficult to read oil dip stick. Run flat tires are expensive when need to replace. Very bumpy ("Go-cart") ride on bad roads.

Mini Cooper 2007 —
Mini Cooper base model is a nice car, Lots of room for a tall guy (6'3") to sit. The seats are very comfortable. Very nice sound system. I use the line-in all the time. This car also has lots of pep, good pickup!

Primary Use: Commuting to work

Pros:
This car has excellent gas mileage and is very reliable.

Cons:
It can be challenging getting two full size car-seats into the back seat.

The Italian Job! —
I love the firm steering and the feel of a manual with a the ease of an automatic. The design is perfect, from the smiling grill to the winged logo. It is a pure delight to start the day and end the day with the smile of a Mini!

Primary Use: Commuting to work

Pros:
Love this car!! The drive is like no other, grounded like a go-cart and as much fun. You will never drive another car after you have driven a Mini!

Cons:
None! There is a little more attention required but that would be true of anything of quality. This is a drivers car not just transportation.

The 2007-2010 "S" models had several engine design flaws-carbon build-up due to design of direct injection, and timing chain guides leading to chain failures. The timing chain issue was addressed by a re-design of the guides, but because I had replaced mine early on (with Mini's original spec model), I did not qualify for the later recall and re-designed guides. My engine usually sounded like a sewing machine. The carbon problem was perhaps fixed with the re-designed engine in the 2011 and later models. Time will tell.
I loved my Pepper White/Black Mini until it became a paper weight, due to the engine failure. I had the engine replaced by Helix Autosports in Philadelphia, PA, and received a 2-year parts warrantee from Mini with the new engine. The car ran better than ever with the new engine, but having to spend $7000 on a car with 73,000 miles after purchasing the $1250 extended service agreement from Mini was just out of line. Mini had maintained this car from day 1 until a month before the engine failure, but would not accept any liability for the catastrophic engine failure, which I believe was due to their improper oil-change spec and a poor design of the timing chain guides.

Cons:
ENGINE FAILURES-Mini's maintenance schedule for oil changes led to burnt exhaust valves. Had to replace entire engine. No support from Mini. Low rev torque a little lacking. Back seats not adult friendly for long drives (2+ hours).

Fun —
I bought this Mini new in 2007 and thought I would keep it for three years. It has been nearly seven years and I now plan to garage until my 16-year old daughter "deserves" it. I want a new 2014....

Great Things Really Do Come In Small Packages. —
Handling is superior to anything I have ever driven. This is a street legal go kart that makes commuting to work fun. Good gas MPG, and reliable engine (made by BMW) make this a great buy, no wonder there are Mini-Cooper auto clubs across the USA they know what a great car this is.
Space. Don't plan any camping trips or long road trips with this unless you naturally travel light. Cargo room once you drop the back seats is adequate for one person to move a few few things like luggage and a small pet but thats about it.
Great things really do come in small packages.

Primary Use: Commuting to work

Pros:
Handling is superior to anything I have ever driven. This is a street legal go kart that makes commuting to work fun. Good gas MPG, and reliable engine (made by BMW) make this a great buy, no wonder there are Mini-Cooper auto clubs across the USA they know what a great car this is.

Cons:
Space. Don't plan any camping trips or long road trips with this unless you naturally travel light. Cargo room once you drop the back seats is adequate for one person to move a few few things like luggage and a small pet but thats about it.

Reviews From Other Years

Fun To DriveBy kataluke

Sporty and Fun, very quick, has a sport mode. The handling of this car is phenomenal. Fuel efficient. Great for everyday driving and/or weekend get away car with your loved one. It is a great little ...
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My Car Is A Cheeky Evil Villian And I'm His Sidekick Along For The Ride.By ModularCat

Parking powers are undeniable. The R56 fits where most cars do not.
Fast and agile, this car is a nimble traffic blaster. You have the turning radius and acceleration of a God (Legendary go-kart han...
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I Love ItBy andishields

I really liked how well it does on fuel, it take me about $40 to fill it up and it will last me quite awhile. I didn't like that you can only run Chevron premium fuel in it.. I overall loved this car
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Great Little DriverBy vpm86

Definitely a driver's car. Excellent mileage, tight handling, responsiveness, classic Euro-motor sensibility. The turbo gets you MOVING, and the stick shift is tight. You think about where you want...
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Fun, Small Car For City Or Road Driving. By xaviclone

This is a small, very fun car. I needed to be able to fit in a very small garage space and drive up and down the hills of San Francisco to get to work. This car is easy to find parking, fun to drive, ...
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Mini Cooper S Mayfair EditionBy Crogers11

I LOVE LoVE LoVE my Mini Cooper! No major dislikes. The only thing I wish for is that there were more places that service the vehicles. I had it serviced and it took me a week to get it back.
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Fun Mountain CarBy enlread

No surprise that this is more of a toy than a functional daily driver. For tearing through mountain switchbacks it is amazing though. Handles like a go cart and (with the turbo) always has plenty of p...
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A Great Little Commuter Car.By mgoheen

The base Cooper is a fun little car to drive and gets good gas mileage. I'm very tall, and even with the sun roof there is PLENTY of front seat room in this car. Six speed manual transmission makes ...
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A Second Car In A FamilyBy wangwang

The car is small but the space for driver is big. The exterior is good looking and the buttons and interior are well designed. The engine is powerful, reliable. This car is small and I can find it ver...
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